


out of the woods

by bonnieanonnie



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Drabble, M/M, Moonsun on the dl, Supernatural Elements, lapslock, vaguely stranger things inspired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 01:29:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20024308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonnieanonnie/pseuds/bonnieanonnie
Summary: no questions, no commitment, no traces.until now.





	out of the woods

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted as a drabble on twitter, but after rereading it i realised i quite like it and wanted to share it here.

1.

he's not sure how long he's been on the run for. more than six months, probably, but it couldn't have been more than a year yet. his perception of time had gotten all kinds of messed up at the institution, and with his blackout during the breakout, he had little idea exactly how long it had been since he’d gotten out.

he could remember parts of it. the flashing lights. the angry guards with their big dogs. kids using whatever means they had to protect themselves, to escape. 

he'd woken up in the middle of a field, days or weeks later, with nothing but the clothes on his back and a deep ache in his gut where a bullet must have hit while he blacked out. there were lots of advantages of regenerative healing abilities, but still feeling pain was a definitive weak point.

freedom had tasted unfamiliar after so many years under the oppressive control of scientists, and it had taken him a while to get the routine down after he woke up, but by this point he's got it down to an art. he goes from town to town, by hitching rides or taking the bus, he works casual day jobs that pay in cash, and he sleeps in dirty motels or in abandoned buildings.

no questions, no commitment, no traces.

until now.

at first, his excuse was that the foreman at the local mine liked him and paid him well, and with his lifestyle sticking around and earning some extra cash could well be worth it if he ran into trouble later on.

then, he'd justified his risky decision with the claim that the woman in the diner on the edge of town made the best food he'd ever tasted, and he couldn't bear to leave without getting his fill.

by week three, he'd struck up a friendship with a few of the younger boys working the mine, his first friendships in years. it was against his own rules, but he couldn't resist the group of rowdy boys covered in soot who took to him like one might an older brother.

now, though, he's halfway through his fourth week in the sleepy mining town and has no choice but to admit the truth to himself.

it's not money, food or camaraderie that's keeping him put. it's the pretty brunette working in the local bar.

he's not able to pinpoint what it is about the boy that makes him put himself at risk of being caught just for a chance at catching a glimpse of those elegant hands and honey brown eyes, all he knows is that he can't tear himself away. he joins the shift crew at the bar for drinks that have no effect on his system, spending money he shouldn't, just for a chance to watch the boy.

his name is jeonghan, seungcheol knows, and they're the same age. he's got soft, blonde hair that bounces cutely as he moves, a slim build that carries its owner with grace through the room, and a loud, tinkling laugh that makes seungcheol's whole body heat up from the inside.

he keeps his hair long, one side swept off his face, the other tucked demurely behind his ear. on certain days he wears big, round glasses that make his eyes stand out even more.

whenever he's in the bar, seungcheol is unable to tear his eyes off of him, no matter how much the other miners tease him. no matter that jeonghan can surely tell.

but what else is he to do when jeonghan sometimes meets his gaze, a soft smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes.

2.

he's going to the bar, again. it's early tuesday morning and he's just finished a night shift helping loading bags of coal onto the trucks that transport it out of town. it's a good job, he's decided, and despite the slight tedious nature of it, he enjoys the chance to stretch his muscles, even if he has to take care to not appear too strong, inhumanly strong. sometimes, when no one is around to see, he'll stack sacks and boxes high on top of each other, and he'll lift it all. he never carries it anywhere, can't risk getting caught, but he revels in the feeling of his muscles pushing, feeling that strain as he finally, finally has to put some effort in. it's nice being able to be himself, fully, even if only for a few minutes each time.

when he swings the door open and walks in he's got his day's wages in his hand, in cash just the way he prefers it, and he's decided to reward himself for a job well done with breakfast at the bar.

jeonghan is working this morning, and seungcheol doesn't even bother pretending he's not the main reason he's chosen the bar over the diner.

"good morning, handsome." jeonghan always greets him like this, friendly, teasing, touching on flirty, and it never fails to make seungcheol's face go an embarrassing shade of red. he's wearing a particularly cute outfit today, seungcheol notes through his blush, with high waisted jeans and a thick, soft sweater, perfect for facing the autumn chill."a little early for a drink, isn't it?"

they're something like friends.  _ something like _ because sometimes seungcheol can't help but think that they're crossing the line of what is acceptable of a friendship, an acquaintanceship. but whenever he seems to become sure of jeonghan returning his interest, the boy will turn around and cheekily banter with some other customer, quickly shattering seungcheol's hope. jihoon tells him he's being stupid at least once every two days, but seungcheol can't shake the thought that maybe jeonghan is only doing it for the tips.

seungcheol tries to shake off his flustered state, instead gesturing to the corner of the bar where a couple of older men are passed out, despite the early hour.

"they seem to think it's a perfect time for refreshments."

jeonghan laughs at his quip, rolling his eyes a bit."you'll never end up a town drunk, not on my watch, cheollie."

seungcheol's heart skips two beats, first at the comment, then at the nickname.

"i appreciate that," he says and slides into a stool by the bar."the mines are so dark and dreary, it's amazing there aren't more drunks here."

"we do our best to take care of our own," jeonghan has a peculiar smile on his face as he speaks, looking almost sad, despite the curve of his lips."but sometimes people fall through the cracks."

seungcheol is about to ask what he's talking about when jeonghan distracts him by sliding a glass of juice in front of him, promising a plate of eggs and toast will soon follow.

3.

"are you kidding me!?" jihoon shrieks, outraged by the absolute buffoonery he's just been subjected to listening to.

seungcheol pouts at the loud reaction, sinking lower into his seat, frown deepening on his face.

"i'm with jihoon on this one," comes yongsun's voice through a mouthful of food."you're being a fucking idiot."

"isn't that a little harsh?" his pout grows even deeper as he tries to throw his best puppy eyes at the girl across from him, doing anything to garner sympathy.

"it really isn’t." byuli has an arm around her girlfriend's shoulders, playing with her waitressing apron."you have to be blind, deaf and stupid to miss the way jeonghan literally  _ longs _ for you."

“if i got a coin for every time he tucked his hair behind his ear and batted his eyelashes at you, i’d never have to go into the mine again,” jihoon says with his hands clasped by his chin, eyelids batting in an exaggerated fashion. seungcheol frowns at him and throws a fry in his direction.

“don’t make fun of him,” he scolds, mood soured by his friend’s mocking of jeonghan.”jeonghan is-”

whatever he was about to say dies on his lips, because in that moment the front door of the diner opens and jeonghan struts in. he’s got his nose buried in a comic book, only looking up periodically to avoid bumping into anyone on his way to the counter. seungcheol’s heart melts at the cute sight, eyes traveling over jeonghan’s form, admiring the way his nose and cheeks have reddened from the chilly wind outside. 

“seungcheol? seungcheol! earth to seungcheol!” he’s rudely pulled out of his appreciation by yongsun waving a hand in front of his face, a coin shimmering between her fingers.

“take this, go up to the jukebox, put his favourite song on and strike up a conversation.” she orders, depositing the coin in front of him.

seungcheol considers protesting, but thinks better of it, instead he merely takes the offered coin and saunters up to the jukebox at the other side of the diner, doing his best to look devastatingly handsome as he goes.

he’s acutely aware of jeonghan’s eyes tracing his body as he steps up to the silent jukebox, and it’s only pure luck that keeps him from fumbling with the coin when the slots it into the little slit. coin deposited, he gets ready to queue up jeonghan’s favourite song(he, along with the rest of town, knows exactly which song it is, as they'd all been subjected to listening to it on repeat at the bar for the past few weeks), but when he tries to get the machine to work, nothing happens. he frowns down at the jukebox, pressing the buttons again to get it to work, but still the machine stays silent.

he glances behind him, managing to catch jeonghan whipping his head around to face away from him, and his body grows hot with embarrassment. he couldn’t get outsmarted by a machine in front of his crush, he’d look like an idiot.

straightening his shoulders, he fishes a coin out of his pocket, quickly slotting it into the machine, only to get the same result. the machine stays silent and unresponsive. he can still feel jeonghan’s eyes watching him, making his resolve to get his song playing even stronger. he fishes out another coin.

he tries three more times, growing more and more violent with each coin the machine swallows. the jukebox shakes as he pushes the buttons with more force than necessary, not able to hold his strength back.

when his fifth coin disappears into the machine with no result, he raises his fist, ready to crush the machine and not caring who’s there to see it.

“seungcheollie,” jeonghan’s amused voice makes him pause, and he turns around, fist still raised to look at jeonghan.

“what?” he asks dumbly.

“it’s not plugged in.” seungcheol can tell jeonghan is trying not to make it obvious that he’s laughing at him, along with most of the rest of the diner, but seungcheol can clearly see the way he’s fighting to keep his face neutral. he lowers his arm, humiliation overcoming him. so much for not getting outsmarted by a machine.

“oh,” is all he says. from the other side of the room, he can hear his friends laughing unashamedly at him. he pouts.”bet i look like a real idiot now,” he jokes, hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck.

jeonghan laughs, the sound loud and bright. seungcheol smiles despite his embarrassment, happy he at least made jeonghan smile.

“you could never look like an idiot, cheollie,” jeonghan says with a sweet smile. seungcheol smiles dopily.”want a milkshake? my treat.”

with a simple question, jeonghan makes him forget all about his tussle with the jukebox, coaxing him into the chair next to him by the counter, eagerly showing him his new comic book.

they spend the rest of the evening in the diner, thighs brushing where they sit, close together, eyes never straying from each other as they talk.   
  


4.

it's his own fault, really. 

he should have known better than to stay five months in the same place, so when he's cornered one night on his way to the motel after his shift by men in dark protective gear armed with electro guns, he has no one to blame but himself.

he’s running through the dark, weaving through the alleys and streets between closed shops in the town centre, grateful for his familiarity with the area for giving him an edge over the faceless government agents. there’s a pool of guilt growing steadily in his stomach, the image of the three agents, lying crumpled like sacks of coal on the ground, stuck in his mind. he had a lot of blood on his hands for someone so young.

he tries to tell himself he had no other choice, but even when he hears the telltale click of an electro gun and he prepares himself for the impending hit, the guilt stays put.

in a stroke of luck, the shock hits to the right of him, giving seungcheol just enough time to duck down behind a car. his hands grip the metal, arms bracing against the weight, and with a low grunt, he sends the vehicle flying into the air. it lands with a heavy crash on the other side of the street, the pained scream of a man trapped under it polluting the air with its misery.

but seungcheol has no time to wait, no time to contemplate his guilt and fear, because there are still two guards left. he sprints into a nearby alley just as he sees them come running down the street.

the night is quiet as he creeps through the dark of the alley, most people having long since slipped into bed and fallen asleep, leaving seungcheol to run from those trying to capture him alone. then again, he thinks, just as an agent rounds a corner in front of him, he’s not sure he’d be getting much help if someone were to discover them. seungcheol was something strange, something distinctly  _ other, _ people’s kindness to him tended to only last for as long as they thought he was normal.

the agent is raising his arms, taking aim at seungcheol, but something inside seungcheol takes hold of him, makes his vision darken and sends him flying at the guard, knocking them both to the ground.

the government agent’s life is ended with an ugly scuffle on the ground. the older man puts up a valiant effort, even managing to get a few good hits in on seungcheol’s face, before instinct takes over and seungcheol snaps his neck before either of them have time to think.

he’s on his feet seconds later, another body left behind as he runs.

only one left. maybe he could do this. only one more body and he could be temporarily free. he’d learned his lesson, ten times over. he’d never settle ever again. he’d walk all night, hitch a ride in the morning, and never return to this sleepy little town he’d grown so fond of.

his insides hollow at the thought.

he’s still running, breathing laboured and sweat dripping down his back, when he hears footsteps close behind him. the last agent. he speeds up, pushes his body more than he thought possible, ignoring the pain in his lungs, his only focus on outrunning his pursuer.

he’s reached the edge of town, buildings growing sparser and the streets growing darker, when he makes a fatal mistake.

the agent is just a few metres behind him when he turns left, heading into what he had mistaken for a back street, only to come face to face with dark, solid brick. he’s forced to a stop, heart hammering in his chest, nerves spiking with each slow step he can hear the man take behind him.

the agent has him cornered and they both know it. he’s surrounded by hard brick on three sides, and a charged electro gun blocks the only open way out. without thinking, he closes his fists and starts pounding at the wall desperately, watching the cracks start to spread through the brick.

“just come with me, kid, nice and easy, and i promise you won’t get hurt.” the man’s voice is distorted behind his mask, coming out sounding grating and frightening. seungcheol feels like a little boy again, huddling under his bed trying to escape the poking and prodding of scientists and government agents.”got a few doctors waiting for you, they’ve been searching for you for over a year now.”

his panic grows stronger in time with the sound of the agent’s gun charging, no doubt getting ready to hit him with a current that’ll render him unconscious. his fists have grown sore from his frantic hitting, but the wall refuses to budge, the red brick making way for ugly, beige concrete.

seungcheol’s eyes are closed, awaiting his fate, forehead pressed against the wall in front of him, cursing himself and his unbelievable stupidity. he’d end up back in the institution, and this time he doubted they’d let him slip through their fingers. his shoulders are up by his ears, a pathetic attempt at shying away from the impending electrical current.

but the hit never comes. he hears the gun charge, hears the angry whirring of the trigger being pulled, even hears the dangerous crack of electricity, but he never feels the current take hold of his body and render him immovable.

instead all he hears is a heavy thud, followed by shallow breathing.

he turns around, slowly, cautiously, and what he sees renders him almost speechless.

it’s jeonghan, arms raised, iron pipe clutched in his hands, with a wide eyed look on his face.

between them the faceless agent lies, silent and unmoving.

“j-jeong-” he stutters, but he’s cut off by the clatter of the pipe falling to the ground.

“we should go,” jeonghan grabs his wrist and starts tugging insistently, and it’s a testament to how in tune his body is to jeonghan’s every move and word that he follows, feet moving of their own accord at jeonghan’s pulling, for there was no way jeonghan would ever have the strength to move him by force.

they start running.   
  


5.

jeonghan had insisted on cleaning and bandaging his wounds, despite seungcheol's reassurance that they would all be closed and gone in a few hours.

that's why they're here, now, sitting on the floor by jeonghan's bathtub, first aid kit spread out on the floor around them in a messy circle. jeonghan’s hands are quick and efficient as they patch up the few cuts he’d acquired running from the guards, and seungcheol watches him closely as his mind reels.

jeonghan had seen him, there was no way he hadn’t. jeonghan had seen him run away from men clad in black, the unmistakable black mask on their faces, and government issued electro guns. he hadn’t asked any questions, but seungcheol could sense that he knew, despite his casual mannerism.

“how much did you see?” he asks when jeonghan finishes putting a plaster on his chin. the cuts sting when the other disinfects them, but seungcheol welcomes it, jeonghan’s proximity soothing him, even now, when his whole world risks crumbling.

“i saw you throw a car across the street, if that’s what you’re asking.” his voice is casual, natural, as if none of what he’s seen is a big deal. seungcheol’s not sure what to make of the young man in front of him.

"you're not scared of me." it's not a question.

"there's nothing to be scared of." jeonghan says with a shrug, cutting some bandages to wrap around seungcheol's arm, where a cut he hadn’t even noticed is spilling blood on his jeans."you're different, but not dangerous."

"i am dangerous," the words are thick in his mouth as he says them, flashes of memories flooding his mind with all the times he's lost control, all the people he's hurt."i've hurt a lot of people, jeonghan."

"i'm sure you had your reasons."

"you don't understand," he insists, taking jeonghan's hands in his and pushing them away from himself."sometimes i lose it, lose control, and when that happens, people die."

“you’re not dangerous.” jeonghan is frowning, and his tone is determined. for a split second, seungcheol is relieved, the last thing he’d ever want is jeonghan to feel scared of him, but not soon after, his worry takes over. jeonghan needs to understand the position seungcheol is in, because if not, he’d do something reckless, seungcheol was sure of it. he couldn’t bear something happening to jeonghan because of him.

“i’m strong, stronger than anyone you’ve ever met,” he tightens his grip around jeonghan’s hands. not enough to hurt, but enough to prove a point.”you saw me kill those men. i could break you in half without even breaking a sweat. i’m dangerous.”

“you’re not dangerous to  _ me _ ." seungcheol's gut clenched at jeonghan's determined gaze.

"you know those men at the bar?" jeonghan changes the subject quickly, eyes intent as he holds seungcheol's gaze, keeping him trapped."the ones who never talk to anyone, only sit there and drink, day in and day out?"

he doesn't wait for seungcheol's response, only keeps talking."they're husbands."

"or," something bitter crosses his features, and his hands go slack in seungcheol's grip."they used to be."

"what does this have to do with-" 

"ten years ago their son started acting-" he pauses, briefly, seemingly trying to find the right word."strange."

"he'd wake up screaming in the middle of the night, so loud the whole neighbourhood could hear it," jeonghan pulls his hands out of seungcheol's grip and crosses his arms in front of his chest, curling in on himself. seungcheol doesn't understand where jeonghan is going with this story, but he gets the overwhelming urge to tug him close, to soothe and protect."after a while, things started happening when he screamed."

dread takes hold of seungcheol's gut as the realisation hits him. he knows where this is going, 

"glass would shatter, walls would shake, if he got angry or upset at school, paper would start flying around in nonexistent wind," 

"one day, men in dark clothing and masks came and took him. said he wasn't of our concern anymore and dragged him, screaming and crying into a black van."

"joshua was my best friend," jeonghan looks so unbelievably sad when he says it seungcheol swears he can hear his own heart shatter."i'm never going to see him again."

"his dads don't talk to anyone anymore, not even each other."

"i- i'm sorry," he starts, trying to find words that can adequately express the sorrow he feels at what jeonghan must have been through, what joshua must have been through. what seungcheol himself was put through.

"so now we take care of our own, seungcheol." jeonghan smiles now, and while sad, it is also genuine. warm and soft and only for seungcheol."you're safe here. with us."

jeonghan looks down, a blush spreading over his ears, when he looks up again, his eyes are wide and hopeful."with me."

seungcheol’s not sure if his heart swells with love or sadness, but he pays the feeling no mind, too busy leaning forward to press his lips against jeonghan’s. it’s a quick kiss, nothing more than a few seconds of contact, but it is firm and secure and four months in the making.

when they separate, seungcheol sees how jeonghan frowns, his closed eyes snapping open.

“why did you sto-”

“will you go out with me?” he rushes out, breathless in his eager to get the words out. kissing jeonghan was great, the best thing he’d done so far in his tumultuous twenty years alive, but he wanted to do this the right way, the normal and proper way. the way he’d never been able to, locked away as he’d been.”on a date?”

jeonghan smiles at him, eyes curving prettily, and he looks so endeared seungcheol can feel himself flushing a deep red.

“i thought you’d never ask, seungcheollie.”

he's not out of danger's reach yet, might never be, but for what might be the first time in his life, he's not alone.

**Author's Note:**

> rly gotta practice writing action scenes in the future lol
> 
> feel free to chat with me on twitter ♡  
> [twt](https://twitter.com/jeonghannieya%20rel=)


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